Screen Scene: “Black Snake Moan”

“Black Snake Moan”

Director Craig Brewer

Paramount Vantage

3 1/2 Paws

A black man chains a white woman to his radiator in Memphis. But this is not a tale of racial tension in the South. The only real tension between Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson in director Craig Brewer’s latest film, “Black Snake Moan,” is purely sexual.

As the creative mastermind behind “Hustle and Flow,” Brewer delivers yet another iconic film that makes ample use of music and distinct characters.

Lazarus (Jackson), the freshly divorced farmer who takes it upon himself to lay God’s vengeance upon those who have wronged him, stumbles across a beaten and passed-out Rae (Ricci), a white-trash floozy who gets “the itch” between her thighs when any boy with a pulse looks her way. In an attempt to nurse her back to health, he heals her heart as well.

He feeds her soul through his guitar playing and blues singing. Yes, that really is Jackson singing live ““ according to Brewer, all the vocals were performed on set.

The blues plays the same integral role as rap did in “Hustle and Flow,” almost becoming another character in the film. In fact, the music’s importance to the actual story implicates Jackson and Ricci in a blues-laden duet.

But the most interesting dynamic between these two starkly contrasting actors ““ the tall, dark Jackson against the tiny, pale Ricci creates a memorable image ““ seems to be the sexual energy flowing between them. Jackson’s character must withstand Ricci’s attempts at seduction, creating powerful scenes of passion and restraint.

These two veteran actors carry the film, with their talent justifying some of the more outrageous maneuvers, such as getting the brilliant idea to tie up a woman or de-virginize a 12-year-old (yes, it goes there). Perhaps this explains the lackluster performance from Justin Timberlake, who plays Ricci’s anxiety-ridden boyfriend. For how could a newbie stand up against the likes of Shaft and Wednesday?

Regardless, Brewer’s fourth film carries the same quality and creativity as “Hustle and Flow.” The raw characters and the role of music bring otherwise absent depth and meaning to the film.

But if you’re itching to see Justin Timberlake as much as Rae is itching to wrap her legs around him, go see “Alpha Dog”; his performance there isn’t painful.

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